Clutch control



Jan 17, 1939. v. w. KUESRATH 2,144,022

CLUTCH CONTROL Original Filed Aug. 28, 1931 I I 32 5 3 .2 T Q 2 J0 22 IN VEN TOR.

A TTORNEY Patented Jan. 17, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Bragg-Kliesrath Corporation,

South Bend,

Ind, a corporation of New York Original application August 28, 1931, Serial No. 559,988, new Patent No. 2,042,717, dated June 2,

Divided and this application April 23,

1936, Serial No. 76,031

1 Claim.

This invention relates in general to control mechanism and in particular to a mechanism for effecting a joint operation of the conventional change-speed transmission and clutch of an auto 5 motive vehicle.

The principal object of the invention is to pro vide a simple and compact manually operated lever device selectively operable to successively disengage the clutch and shift the gears of the transmission.

A further object of the invention is to provide a control mechanism for varying the relative timing of disengagement of the clutch and operation of the change-speed transmission to establish a desired gear ratio.

The invention also contemplates the provision of an easily fabricated and assembled cheap type of control device for effecting any one of a selective, intermittent, successive or concurrent operation of two control mechanisms.

Other objects of the invention and desirable details of construction will become apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of my invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a diagrammatic view disclosing my invention adapted for use as a control of the transmission and clutch of an automotive vehicle; and

Figure 2 is a sectional view disclosing the details of the control mechanism of my invention.

The control mechanism of my invention is of particular utility in effecting the operation of the clutch and change-speed transmission of an automotive vehicle. As disclosed in Figure l, a lever 20, extending from the floor it of the drivers compartment, serves in the conventional manner to operate a conventional three-speeds forward and reverse transmission, not shown.

The lever It is hollow, as disclosed in Figure 2, the upper end thereof having detachably secured thereto a two-part hollow ball member it comprising parts it and i8. lhe rim portion of the part it is flared outwardly at ill to telescopingly receive the peripheral portion 22 of the lower ball part l8. To the central portion of the part it is secured a boss 24, projecting inwardly with respect to the part 18. The boss 24 is bored to fixedly receive a flexible operating cable 25 extending through the bore of the lever member i8. Annularly spaced pins 28 extend inwardly from the surface of the ball part it, said pins being disposed opposite similar pins 39 extending from the inner surface of the ball part It. Return springs 32 are sleeved over the pins 28 and 30.

The flexible cable 26 is preferably arranged to control the operation of the clutch of the automotive vehicle, and to this end there is provided a power means for operating the clutch. The power means comprises a pressure differential operated motor 34 operably connected to a clutch pedal 36 by a rod 38. The power motor is provided with fluid transmitting means communicating with the intake manifold it of an internalcombustion engine 42 by means of conduits 44 and 46. These conduits are interconnected by a three-way valve 48. An accelerator pedal is operably connected to an engine throttle 52 by means of a thrust link 54 and a flexible link 56. The valve 48 is so positioned as to be operated by the accelerator by means of an arm 58 secured to the flexible link 56 and to the valve 48 by a flexible member 60.

The cable 26 extends through a flexible sheath or conduit 52 and is secured at one end to the engine opposite the valve 48 and at the other end to the bottom of lever IS. The cable and sheath together constitute what is known in the art as a Bowden control. Return springs 6i and 66 function respectively to bias the throttle to its closed or engine idling position and to urge the valve 48 to a position to interconnect the manifold 40 and the motor 34 to energize the latter to disengage the clutch.

Referring now to the operation of the abovedescribed mechanism, upon release of the accelerator the spring 64 automatically functions to close the throttle 52, and the spring '56 functions both to return the accelerator to its released or throttle closed position and to operate the valve id to connect the manifold 50 with the motor 34, whereupon the motor is energized to disengage the clutch. The control mechanism, comprising the ball it and Bowden control, constitutes a means for operating the valve 48 independently of the spring 66, whereby the relative timing of operation of the clutch and transmission may be regulated. In operation, pressure upon the upper ball part It by the palm of the hand serves to effect an operating movement of the cable 26 relative to the lever I0.

The mechanism disclosed in Figure l is disclosed and claimed in my Patent No. 2,042,717, dated June 2, 1936, of which this application is a division. However, it will be obvious that the control device of Figure 2 may find other uses than in the operation of mechanisms of the general type disclosed in Figure 1.

There is thus provided a simple and compact control mechanism, whereby two independent operable means, a two-part member mounted on the top of the aforementioned manually operable means for operating said flexible means, said twopart member including a cup-shaped member detachably secured to the manually operable means, a second cup-shaped member telescopingly mounted over the first-mentioned cup-shaped member and provided with a centrally located stem to which one end of the flexible means is secured, and springs, interposed between said cupshaped members, serving to yieldingly bias the second-mentioned cup-shaped member to its oil position.

VICTOR W. KLIESRATH. 

